


Rid Me of My Pride

by aaaravos



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Military, Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Enemies, Friends to Enemies to Lovers, Light Angst, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-11-27 13:25:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18195170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aaaravos/pseuds/aaaravos
Summary: Sokka leads a Southern Water Tribe military expedition to the Fire Nation, in which he plans to build relations with the military and nobles, and establish peace among the nations. What he doesn't plan on, however, is falling for the Prince of the Fire Nation.





	1. Chapter 1

Sokka had only two things on his mind: meat… and meat. Naturally, being away at sea for weeks at a time deprived him of his lifeline. All he and the other officers were fed were the basic preservatives: rice, crackers, beans, you name it, and of course, the lousily caught fish. Unfortunately, all of the skilled fisherman of his tribe were either out on their own job or had to stay home to feed their people.

At the pace they were going at now, Sokka was scheduled to set foot on Fire Nation land just before sunset. In fact, he could see a speck of land in the distance. After their arrival was set back a couple days due to an unexpected storm, their food supply started to run low and each officer resulted to rationing off portions.

The bottom line was, Sokka was more than ready to disembark. He was sure the Fire Nation officials would not be thrilled of their late meeting. Sokka was the minority in the situation. He was not entitled to talk with the Fire Nation, but they so kindly scheduled a meet. (Undoubtedly, this was only _after_ his father wrote a strongly worded- yet kind- letter to whom it may concern.)

Foreign affairs, war, and peace strategies were all something Sokka wanted to involve himself in… somehow. He wanted to make plans, present them, execute them, speak with others in the same position. He took after his father, in that sense, yet he was self conscious in where he was at the moment. He never knew the details of what to do- who to contact, what to say, always fucking up something important, leaving the mess to his dad to clean up.

Sokka took in a deep breath and leaned against the railing, letting out the air only after he heard his name. He didn’t turn to face the voice, but let his face fall towards him. “You’re needed. All officers are meeting on deck before arrival,” he heard.

Sokka turned and smiled at Pilip. “Of course,” he said as he started walking towards the small group of Southern Water Tribe officers assembled not too far away. Pilip turned around, joining Sokka in his stride just after Sokka passed him. The other men greeted Sokka, using their heavy hands to give a pat on the back. Sokka returned the gesture by giving a warm smile to each of them.

“Look how far you’ve come, Sokka,” praised Kallik, one of the older men traveling with him. “You’ve grown into your father’s son, matured. Know that he is proud of you.”

“Thank you, Kallik,” Sokka gleamed. “I am honored to follow in his footsteps.” He took a deep breath. “Now, before we arrive at the Fire Nation, let’s go over our plan.”

“Yes, sir,” said Osha. “Upon arrival, Fire Nation officials will be there for our welcome. Each of us will be staying in one of the royal palace’s guest rooms. We will be staying for two months. Our ultimate goal is to build relations and make peace between the Fire Nation and Water Tribes. This entails attending their social gatherings and balls, as well as their military briefings.”

“Thank you, Osha,” Sokka noted. He turned his attention to the rest of the men. “Pilip, Osha, and I will all work closely with the royal family. The rest of you each have a family of nobility to work with. Don’t mess it up. These people have a strong influence over the royal family. I know that sometime during our stay, nobility from the Earth Kingdom and the Air Nation will also be there. It would not hurt to engage in diplomacy with them, either.” He heard an affirmative _Yes, Sir_ before speaking again. “Alright, you boys ready?” He received firm nods from each officer. “We arrive at sunset. Make sure we have everything unloaded from this ship before we leave.”

The officers dispersed after Sokka dismissed them. Pilip stayed by his side.

Pilip was his best friend for his time spent on this ship, and the only one younger than him on deck. The two had not really spoken on Southern Water Tribe land, only having their first conversation after being put on the mission together. He was grateful for the friendship. Otherwise he would be bored out of his mind. Aside from discussing militaristic strategies and playing Pai Sho and card games, there was nothing much to do. Instead, he passed his time writing poetry in a book his sister Katara gave him before he left and talking with Pilip.

Sokka looked down at his feet. Pilip stayed silent, but Sokka knew he could tell something was wrong. Pilip had never seen Sokka act in such a way. Normally, Sokka was loud, sarcastic, a chatterbox, but as they neared the Fire Nation, Sokka had grown more and more silent.

“What if I mess up…” Sokka shut his eyes tightly. “This is my first time actually _doing_ something, I can’t mess this up. I’ll let my dad down and I’ll let the entire tribe down.”

Pilip remained quiet for a few moments. “Sokka, you’ve worked your whole life to—“

“Exactly!” Sokka’s once quiet voice raised slightly, but nothing too alarming. His eyes opened. “I’ve worked my entire life to do something like this and once I mess up, all of it will go to waste.”

“ _No,”_ He felt Pilip’s hand touch his shoulder. “It’s not like that. I believe you can accomplish the mission and I believe you can do it well. You are too hard on yourself. What happened to the loud Sokka I know?”

Sokka simply sighed.

“Huh? All of that sokkasm? Where is it?”

That tugged the corner of Sokka’s lips up. He let out a breathy chuckle. “Thanks, Pilip.”

***

The crew still had a solid five hours before they would reach a dock. Sokka spent this time, or at least some of it, tidying himself up. He took a bath, flossed between his teeth, and shaved where it mattered; he even trimmed his hair. It gave him a younger look.

“Sokka, you gotta see this!” He heard Pilip call from the upper deck. Sokka scrambled up from the crate he was sitting on and ran up to join Pilip. The younger one’s finger was pointed towards the horizon. Only, the horizon was no longer sea. He scanned right and left. There were a few small fire nation kids waving to their ship.

“Damn… We made it,” Sokka gleamed. “We made it!” He threw his arms around Pilip and laughed loudly. He looked back. The cool breeze through his hair felt refreshing. He took in a deep breath of sea tinted air. “As much as I love the ocean, I’ve never been so happy to see land.”

It did not take them much longer to reach the shore. The ship captain quickly docked the boat and each officer unloaded their belongings. Sokka was the last one off board. He groaned loudly as he sank to his knees, pulling his body towards the ground. “Ah, land! Sweet… sweet land…”

Sokka slowly looked up towards the tall, broad-shouldered figure who had just cleared his throat. He gulped. The man stood just inches away from him. He figured it was a member of the Fire Nation’s coast guard; they were previously informed that upon Sokka and his crewmates’ arrival, the coast guard would be the ones to help them settle in. Sokka sprung up, bringing his hand to meet his forehead in a salute. The man returned the gesture.

“Lt. Lian Tao,” he announced.

“Sokka, of the Southern Water Tribe,” Sokka responded. They both lowered their hands to their sides. “My crew and I were scheduled to arrive several days ago, but an unexpected storm delayed us many days. I speak on behalf of us all when I say we are truly sorry for any inconvenience we might cause the Fire Nation for this.”

The lieutenant offered a bland smile. “Nonsense. People make mistakes. The Fire Nation welcomes the people of the Southern Water Tribe and looks forward to working closely with you for the next two months.”

Sokka bowed his head in respect to the lieutenant. Inwardly, he was leaping with joy because he didn’t end up ruining the mission before even arriving at their destination. “Thank you, sir.” He raised his head.

After his conversation with the lieutenant, another member of the Fire Nation military escorted Sokka and his men to the royal palace, and showed them to their individual rooms.

The pink sky soon turned to navy blue and the stars began to glimmer. The city seemed much livelier than the Southern Water Tribe would ever be at this time. A majority of the population back South would be kids, since all the adults were usually on some sort of voyage. In fact, Sokka became the man of the tribe at a very young age. He was forced to grow up fast in terms of responsibilities, but he knew most of the tribe probably didn’t take him seriously considering his usual childish behavior. The kids would usually go inside, eat dinner with their families, and go to bed at a reasonable time. Here at the Fire Nation, Sokka was surprised at how many people were out and about. With a larger adult population, there were multiple taverns open full of Fire Nation soldiers off duty, or theatres showing plays late at night. Sokka had never seen anything like it.

They soon reached the palace yards after some travel time. They were handed off to a palace guard, who was to show them each to their room. Sokka was shown to his first. There, he was told of how the royal chefs prepared a big dinner for his men’s arrival, so he was to join back up with everyone in an hour or so. When the rest of his men followed the guard, Sokka left the room and snuck off to explore the palace.

He was curious, ok? He couldn’t help it. He walked the halls and each step that hit the hard, polished floor sounded off an echo. He tried his best to silence his footsteps, but it was useless. He found himself in a large ballroom like room. He wasn’t quite sure what it was, but there was a large, shuttered off balcony that he walked towards. He struggled to open it (he pulled the handle, when it was a ‘push’ door). The chill of the seabreeze hit his bare arms, and the hairs on his arms stood on their ends.

He stepped out on the balcony, leaving the door open behind him. Sokka hummed and breathed in a breath of fresh air. Except, the air wasn’t as fresh as back home. The Fire Nation relied heavily on their factories, as most of their income stemmed from them. In fact, reducing their factory use, or finding a way to make factories more efficient and less harmful were on Sokka and his men’s agenda coming to the Fire Nation.

“You’re not supposed to be in here,” a young, raspy voice warned.

Sokka must have jumped out of his skin right there. He quickly turned around. He kept his eyes to the sky. “I… uh… was just looking for somewhere I could grab a glass of water! Heh.. I’m, um, very thirsty, yes,” Sokka started rambling. “I mean, I guess I could have just drunk some tap water from the sink in my room. But! I didn’t think to do that at the time so I just, um, decided to, uh, find a kitchen… or something… Needless to say, I’m very thirsty and very lost!” Sokka made the mistake of moving his eyes to peek at the man standing in front of him, but quickly looked back up again. The quick moment of eye contact they shared was intimidating. The stranger looked expressionless, unimpressed entirely. He think he saw a scar covering one of his eyes. Sokka wondered where he got it from. He’s probably fought in one hundred battles or something. Sokka was letting his imagination get the best of him.

“I can show you to the kitchen, if you want,” the guard unexpectedly offered.

“Yes, please.” Sokka grinned guiltily. He wasn’t actually thirsty, at first. At least, he wasn’t until that encounter.

The man stepped aside from the door frame. Sokka hesitantly walked past him, looking now at the floor. He heard the shuttered door close, footsteps behind him, indicating the man followed. Sokka shuffled out of the ballroom, head hung low.

The man accompanied him from a distance. “Go down the hall to your right.” His voice sent shivers down Sokka’s spine. He was so curious about this guy and how he got his scar, why he held no emotion in his face, why there was no emotion in his voice, either. Sokka shook his head. Maybe he was the reason this guard acted this way. Actually, scratch that. He was _definitely_ the reason this guard acted this way. The man probably wanted nothing more than to find some Water Tribe loser being somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be. And because of Sokka, he would probably get in trouble with his boss later! Oh man, Sokka felt so bad. What if he were to get fired? It would be all Sokka’s fault and then his reputation amongst the Fire Nation would be soiled for any future affairs, consequently shaming his entire tribe back home. “I’m sorry!” Sokka blurted. He stopped in his tracks.

“What?” questioned the guard.

Sokka slowly turned around to face the guy. “I’m sorry for being somewhere I’m not supposed to… I shouldn’t have been by myself in this palace. I hope you don’t get in trouble or anything because of me…”

“Oh, uh, I shouldn’t get into any trouble. Besides, it’s not like anyone else knows,” said the man oh-so-kindly. Sokka must have been crazy, but he thinks that if he had a microscope, he might have been able to see a smile on the ex-expressionless face.

Sokka grinned. “Good,” was all he said. He turned back around and continued in his step.

“Go through this door,” said the man. Sokka followed his direction, and he was immediately greeted by a chaotic congregation of chefs, cooks, bakers, you name it. They were alternating between each side of the room, carrying wooden spoons full of an orange liquid, or measuring cups holding chopped vegetables. Or knives that were way too sharp! Sokka yelped when one of the blades came way too close to his skin.

“Don’t worry,” one of them said. “We’re professionals.”

“And we’re cooking _your_ dinner. Wouldn’t want your finger in it,” another, somewhat portly man chuckled.

Sokka shifted uncomfortably. What if they _did_ cut his finger off and he was forced to eat it in some sort of gross soup and what if-

“Here.” Sokka turned to his left and saw the guard from before holding out a glass of water. He didn’t remember him ever leaving, but he was unaffected and took the glass from his hand.

“Thank you,” he smiled, bringing the glass to his lips. He relaxed a little in the tense environment and was able to sniff out the foods the chefs were preparing. A lot more spicy than anything from the Water Tribe. Less fish, definitely. It was something he probably had never heard of before, but Sokka was always ready to try new foods (he looked forward to the red meat he had not had for weeks).

“No problem. Maybe just don’t sneak around in places you aren’t supposed to be just yet, or else our lovely chefs here might just have to cut off your finger and feed it to you.”

Sokka winced. That was the most he had heard of the stranger’s voice at one time. Scary. “Sorry… again…”

The man winked. “I can show you back to your room.”

Sokka nodded. The two turned out of the kitchen. Sokka still held the glass of water. It was half full. The stranger now walked with Sokka instead of following behind him. Sokka began to recognize where he was in the big palace. He would have suggested he walked back to his room alone then, but he wasn’t sure if the man would be so happy leaving him unguarded where he can wander off again. Sokka in no way deserved trust from the man. He stayed silent until they reached his door and he parted ways from the guard, closing the door behind him.

Sokka noticed a fold of clothes sitting on his bed with a folded note on top. He set down the glass of water on his nightstand and picked up the note. It read: _Wear for dinner._

Sokka set down the note. He unfolded the clothes on his bed. They were traditional Fire Nation clothes. He smiled widely. He’d look so cool in these clothes. He wondered if any of his men received the gift too.

Sokka checked the time. He would be called to the dining hall in maybe a half hour. He quickly stripped of his own street clothes, pulling on the nice, fancy Fire Nation clothes. Sokka toed over to the bathroom that was attached to his room, taking a look at himself in the mirror. He tightened his warrior tail, dusted himself off, and gave the man in the mirror a smile. Man, he looked good.

Sokka passed the rest of his time unpacking his bags. He wanted to go down the hall and knock and Pilip’s door, but he figured after just being busted for wandering the palace, he should probably stay inside his room. Sokka puffed. He wished he would have been roomed with Pilip— or at least someone. It was lonely in this big room. If the room Sokka was in was a guest room, he would have liked to have seen the royal family’s rooms; they must have been huge.

Just as he was finishing, a loud bell rang, signaling dinner time. He felt like a kid again, when he was still in school and he and Katara would go sledding before dinner. His mother would whistle (practically so loud the entire Tribe could hear) and they would race back home for a hot meal. Sokka smiled nostalgically. He joined up with Pilip before making his way to the dining room.

“Hey, I was thinking we should go shopping one day when we’re not busy. On the way over here, I noticed some cool places you might like,” suggested Pilip.

“Yeah!” Sokka agreed. Pilip knew him well. He loved shopping.

They both walked in silence before Pilip spoke up again. “Hey are you a little nervous about the dinner…? I mean, we’re having dinner with the _royal family,_ Sokka.”

“I was,” Sokka admitted, “but I’ve had some time to think and calm down a little. Don’t worry.”

Pilip smiled as they neared the dining hall. There was a long table— Sokka had been wondering how they would seat all of his men, but this table seemed capable of seating his entire tribe if they tried hard enough. On the table were little name cards suggesting a seating arrangement. A few Fire Nation officials were already seated, so he looked at the open spots for his name. He saw Kallik and Pilip and Osha and— his name card was directly in front of the royal family’s. He sat next to Osha and in front of him were Prince Zuko and Princess Azula. He gulped. Sokka knew he told Pilip he wasn’t nervous but now, now he couldn’t be anything but nervous! Osha sat in front of the king, but that was Osha— a strong, well-composed man who probably would do just fine sitting in front of the king. And Sokka was… well, Sokka— a relatively weak, goofball, where everything coming out of his mouth somehow makes everything worse. To make him more nervous, Pilip was all the way on the other end of the table.

He and Pilip both sat in their respective seats. Sokka gloomily glanced over at his friend. He saw Pilip mouth _Good luck_ as if that was supposed to make anything better. A few more officials made their way to their seats as waiters poured their drink: a house red wine.

Sokka never drank before, never being enough a man to join the others in his tribe; he didn’t have the confidence. He almost sent the glass back, but didn’t want to disrespect the Fire Nation.

His thoughts were interrupted when a girl looking to be about his age sat in front of him. She must have been the princess. _Wow, she is gorgeous_ , Sokka thought. _Intimidating_ . Her eyebrows arched in a way that told Sokka not to get on her bad side, and she wore a faded red lipstick that told Sokka she _knew_ she was intimidating.

Sokka looked over and the king was already sitting in front of Osha. _Oh boy_ . Sokka took the glass of red wine in his hands, taking one large sip. As he was sipping, he spotted the scarred guard from earlier. He was dressed differently in something more formal. His hair that was previously loose and down was now pulled up in a neat bun. It was attractive, to tell the truth. Sokka could see more of his scar then. It covered almost and entire half of his face. Sokka almost waved, but didn’t want to look like an asshole. _Oh boy, oh no. He’s coming towards me_ . Sokka panicked. He kept sipping on his wine to look busy, even though he secretly wanted to spit it out. _He keeps coming towards me what do I do what do I do._ Sokka was almost done with the entire glass of wine at this point. _He’s sitting down in front of me—_

Wait, the guard was sitting down in front of Sokka? In the prince’s seat… Sokka did a spit take. “Prince Zuko???!!!” he blurted out _way_ too loud. The guard, which was not a guard, but actually the prince had a look of terror on his face. It was just then that Sokka noticed _everyone_ had eyes on him. He turned his head to the other side, realized what he had just spat out (wine) ended up in the person in front of him’s face (Princess Azula).

“I am… SO so sorry, your royalness.. Er.. princess…” Sokka stood up suddenly, grabbing a napkin to help her clean what he did, but there were already servants at her side.

“Sorry won’t fix this…!” Azula fumed. Sokka cowered back into his seat. He could see out of the corner of his eye that the princess had stormed off out of the dining hall, and when his glace returned in front of him, he swore he saw the prince laughing. _Did he find this funny?!_ That angered Sokka.

Sokka stood again, quickly. He felt a tug at his sleeve. He looked down at Osha. “Fix this,” his colleague growled.

Sokka groaned, bringing both of his hands to his face. He trudged embarrassedly out of the dining hall to look for the princess. He looked over his shoulder and saw Osha was trying to talk with the king, probably trying to fix the mess Sokka made. He saw the chefs serving dinner. Sokka was going to miss dinner over this. He sighed loudly, looking around the centre room of the palace to try to find the princess. He wondered if he skipped out on trying to locate and talk with her and just go back to his room and sulk, if anyone would notice. Sokka groaned. He really contemplated the idea; he would probably just make things worse if he tried to talk with the princess.

And if his day just couldn’t get any worse, he heard behind him, “Hey Water Tribe boy!” Sokka turned around to face the prince- the very same prince he had made a fool of himself in front of many times, and it was only his first day in the Fire Nation.

_Good first impressions, my ass._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I hope you all enjoyed. I will have a posting schedule of writing one chapter and not posting it until another chapter is done. For example, I have chapter 2 done already, but I won't post it until chapter 3 is finished. It takes me about a week, two weeks, maybe three to finish writing a chapter, depending on how much is going on in my life. I have a fan account @aaaravos where I will keep you updated. I promise the writing will get better along the way, and I know I haven't introduced many of the main A:TLA characters, but I promise they will be introduced soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Anything that came out of Prince Zuko’s mouth was a string of unintelligible murmurs. (The prince was saying something of importance, however. But with Sokka staring at him dumbfounded, standing directly in front of him, he couldn’t comprehend anything the prince was saying.) Sokka blinked. He noticed that the prince had been staring at him for a little longer than necessary with a furrow in his brow. “Sorry…” Sokka finally came to his senses. “What did you say?” His voice cracked a little. He was still trying to process what happened.

“I  _ said _ don’t bother going after Azula,” Zuko repeated. Sokka could finally understand what he was saying, but when his expression looked a little too confused for Zuko’s taste, the prince continued. “It’s a lost cause. You’re probably already her number one enemy,” he explained, quickly followed by “I mean it’s not your fault or anything! She’s just like that sometimes.” Zuko’s eyes shifted away from Sokka. It seemed he was apologetic for his sister’s actions.

“Like that’s supposed to make me feel any better,” Sokka mumbled to himself, but he could tell it made the prince uncomfortable, so he quickly changed the subject. “Why didn’t you tell me you were the prince? You let me make a fool out of myself in front of you and you never told me you were the prince!” Sokka blurted out. He realized that probably wasn’t the best subject to turn to. His hand shot up to his mouth. He needed to learn to check himself. He was supposed to be all Mr. Formal Adult Man who speaks with royalty, carefully choosing his vocabulary and here he was, talking to Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation like he was one of his pupils back home who tried using the restroom when he wasn’t supposed to.

“I just assumed you knew,” Zuko defended. “I mean, I thought it was common knowledge that the prince of the Fire Nation had a scar that covered the left side of his face.” He talked with his hands in large gestures. The prince wasn’t angry at him, but he was sure making Sokka feel dumb.

“Well, that sort of information doesn’t really make it all the way to the Southern Water Tribe- just what battles the Fire Nation has initiated. Y’know, the more important stuff,” Sokka mumbled bitterly.

Zuko huffed. “Oh, you don’t get to do that.” Okay, he was definitely angry now. “You don’t get to blame me in my own home for the people you’ve lost. That was completely unnecessary!”

Sokka cowered back at the prince’s raised voice. He wanted to fight back, but realized he needed to stop himself before every single member of the royal family was his enemy. He gulped, bowing his head to the prince. “I’m sorry, I just-”

He was cut off. “I’m sorry…” 

Sokka heard Zuko sigh, and he looked up. Zuko was bowing to him. Sokka held out his hand, and Zuko rose and took it in his own, giving a firm shake. 

“We’re good?” Zuko raised an eyebrow, letting go of Sokka’s grip.

“Yeah! We’re good.” Sokka gave him a sincere smile, just glad he was able to fix things before anything got worse, unlike with Princess Azula. Sokka chuckled.

“Hm?” questioned Zuko.

“It’s just only my first day here and everything already seems to be going wrong.” It wasn’t funny to Sokka, but he laughed regardless. Maybe he was just tired. Days out at sea can exhaust you like that. 

Zuko laughed a little. Sokka could tell he didn’t really find it funny either. He was probably just being nice.

Why, though? As if Sokka couldn’t really put two and two together still: Zuko was the  _ prince _ , he realized. Zuko had no reason to be nice to Sokka. He felt the need to ask him, but Sokka held his tongue.

“You’re not going back there, are you?”  Zuko asked.

Sokka sighed. “How could I? I let all of my men down.”

The prince shrugged. “I never got your name,” he stated, before starting to walk back the way Sokka had been walking. 

“It’s… Sokka.”

Zuko stopped and turned around. “You coming, Sokka?

He blinked, nodding quickly before starting a quick pace to catch up to the prince. Then Zuko continued his route once Sokka was by his side.

“I’m Zuko.”

“I know.”  _ Idiot _ , Sokka thought,  _ what a  _ stupid _ thing to say _ .  _ He was just trying to be formal and introduce himself.  _ His ego was restored once he heard the prince laugh a little, and Sokka smiled.

The palace seemed empty, since most of the guards were either next to doors leading to the exterior, or in the dining room, and everyone else was also in the dining room. The two were mostly quiet, walking slowly down a long hallway. Sokka had no idea where the prince was taking him, and he honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he was going to throw Sokka in the dungeon. Nonetheless, they came upon a room that Zuko led him into. It was spacious, but hardly looked lived in. There was a large bed surrounded by a wooden bed frame on a raised platform, a few picture frames, a darkly stained wardrobe. It seemed as though there was access to a balcony, but a set of heavy curtains closed over it. Sokka stood by the doorway. He watched as Zuko made his way to the wardrobe in the corner, pulling out a cloak.

Zuko’s back was turned to Sokka, pulling on the cloak’s hood, when Sokka decided to step further into the room. He caught a glimpse of what was in the picture frames. He could see the king, standing next to a woman. Sokka could easily infer that she was the previous queen. Standing in front of them were a little girl and a taller boy. The little girl was obviously Princess Azula. She had the same scary look in her eye that made Sokka shiver and his hairs stand on the ends. Zuko, the little boy, was missing the scar that went across his face. He was showing off a big smile that crinkled his eyes in the corner, obviously much happier then. Sokka looked away once Zuko joined him.

As they started walking back down the long hallway, Sokka looked over at the other. He had let his hair back down so that it fell just below his eyes. Sokka couldn’t see his scar anymore, behind the hair and the cloak. He thought for a few moments, being interrupted when he bumped into Zuko, who had gone ahead of him and stood in a door frame. 

“I’m sorry! Your highness…” Sokka backed up quickly and checked to make sure Zuko was alright. As he was looking around, he realized he was in the kitchen again. Except, there was no one in it, a drastic contrast with how it was a couple hours ago. 

“I’m alright,” Zuko assured Sokka. He walked to the cooler, grabbing a few things and setting them on the counter. “Here, help me out.”

“Of course.”

“Just set those over there,” advised Zuko. Sokka followed his instructions. He turned back to Zuko, who had started preparing a meal. “You can just call me Zuko, if you want. My prince title is only honorary, really. I attend military meetings, but my words hold no value. I can suggest important changes for our kingdom, but I’m usually turned away. If it were up to my father, I wouldn’t be Prince. He treats me as if I weren’t anyway, as if I weren’t his own.” His voice held a resentment, an enmity Sokka could sense from a mile away. Sokka looked at him, stepping closer to see his face. Zuko was making an omelette. He had a rather blank expression, but his eyebrows were unevenly furrowed. 

“You hate your father?”

“No, of course not,” Zuko was quick to say. “He’s hard on me, and I understand where he comes from. I’m the prince of an entire nation. I can’t stand to bring dishonour on my family.”

Sokka didn’t believe him one second, but he didn’t dare respond, so he just said, “Oh.”

“Here,” Zuko said, in a lighter tone. He took the plate Sokka had set out, sliding the omelette onto it. He handed the plate to Sokka with an upward curve of his lip, and afterwards prepared a plate of his own. 

Sokka thanked him and watched as Zuko lifted himself on top of the counter, sitting cross-legged.

“Because you didn’t really get to eat anything.” Zuko explained. Sokka sat on the counter opposite of him, legs dangling. “I took out the wine, if you want any more.”

“Oh, no, I don’t drink,” Sokka declined, but then he remembered the embarrassing incident in the dining room and turned bright red. Zuko nodded and took a bite of his food, not really affected. Sokka was glad he didn’t really mention it, so he sighed in relief. He thought for a few moments, watching the man in front of him. He still hadn’t touched his food. When Zuko caught him staring, Sokka spoke up. “Why are you being so nice to me? I mean, you have no reason to be. I mean,” he repeated, “I’m just some tribe official who’s already messed up any relations I mean to build with the Fire Nation. And, with all due respect, Prince Zuko, you yourself said you have no say in Nation affairs, so there’s really no reason to be so willing to talk to me. And besides, your befriending me, if that is what you are doing- I’m not trying to make assumptions or anything- probably looks bad for you on behalf of your father, considering my run in with you earlier and my misbehaviour otherwise. Not only that, but the-” Sokka blabbed on and on until he was cut off when he noticed Zuko rolling his eyes. “Oh, I knew it! You hate me. If you could just see the look on your face right now! If you hate me so, then why are you trying to be ni-”

Sokka was cut off again. “I don’t hate you,” Zuko stated loudly. “You’re just making it really difficult to listen to yourself right now, though. Gee, do you ever stop talking?” Zuko questioned wryly.

“I…”

“I’m messing with you.”

“I couldn’t tell.”

“I have difficulty expressing my humorous side, sometimes.”

“What humorous side?” Sokka grinned, expressing the first hint of happiness he had for a while since he arrived.

Zuko glared at Sokka, but once he saw the grin on Sokka’s face, he couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re a funny guy, huh?”

Sokka gleamed with pride. “Yeah, I am. I try.” Sokka’s smile faltered. “...Or, I don’t try, because then that would be cooler, right?” Sokka paused for a moment, but he realized the man beside him was still laughing, so he started laughing, too.

“Everyone I meet in this palace is usually so stiff and pompous. You’re a nice change of pace. I look forward to befriending you over these next few weeks.” Zuko held his hand out, which Sokka shook. “You’re going to the briefing tomorrow morning, right?”

“I haven’t been given a schedule yet, but I’m sure I’ll be there.”

“Great.”

The two smiled at each other. Sokka finally started eating the omelette Zuko had cooked for him, and it didn’t take long for him to finish it, either, with his first bite just reminding him of how hungry he was before he arrived and only having a glass of wine since then. As Sokka was taking his last few bites, Zuko hopped down from the counter and began cleaning up. It was getting late, and any minute, palace staff could rush into the place for their own clean up. 

Zuko offered to walk Sokka back to his room (which he could not refuse, as he still had no idea which hallway led where). Luckily, his comrades were still finishing dinner in the dining hall, or else he might have been greeted by a very unfriendly Osha standing by his door. Sokka said his farewells to Zuko when they parted.

***

Sokka was woken by a palace staff member. He tossed and turned when he heard his name, shutting his eyes closed tightly. “ _ Jus fi more mints. _ ” Sokka mumbled into his pillow. It felt so good to sleep in a real bed again. Oh, that pillow must have been made from the feathers of an angel’s wing.

“That’s what you said last time, sir. Wake up.” The staff member parted the curtains that had been previously blocking the sun. Sokka groaned and sat up. His long hair was sticking up in different directions, and there was a slight stubble above his lip. 

Sokka glared at the guard. “I’m up.” 

The staffer smiled at Sokka, almost intimidated by him. “The briefing is in an hour. Breakfast has been prepared by the chefs this morning, and you may help yourself in the breakfast room. Our guards will be happy to help you find it if you have any trouble. At noon, His Majesty will give a speech in the town north. The water tribe is welcome to travel with us.”

Sokka thanked him and he left to allow Sokka to get ready for the day. One bath and a close shave later, Sokka found another set of Fire Nation clothing to wear for the day left for him on the wardrobe. He gratefully accepted the gift and slipped it on before heading over next door to Pilip’s room. He hadn’t been able to talk to him since before yesterday’s dinner, and even then it was only a few words.

“Sokka!” Pilip was eating breakfast on his bed when Sokka opened the door.

“Hey you already got breakfast without me?” Sokka teased. 

“I didn’t know if you were banished from the Fire Nation because of last night’s incident,” Pilip laughed heartily.

“Hey!” Sokka whined. “Was it that bad?”

“No! I mean it was bad but I don’t think it was as bad as you think it might have been. The Princess was scary from all the way where I was sitting, but you were right in front of her! I’m sorry, man.” Pilip tried to make him feel better. Sokka sighed, plopping himself on the bed next to Pilip. “Osha seemed upset…”

“I know. I tried going to fix it, but Zuko stopped me. He said it wouldn’t do anything. I’m just hoping over time, I will be forgiven. I shouldn’t get my-”

“Wait, wait, wait.”

“Hmm?”

“Prince Zuko?”

“Yeah. I think he wants to be my friend?” Sokka said with uncertainty.

“Hey, that’s good!” 

“You think?” Sokka lit up.

“Yeah, I mean even if you made enemies with the princess, at least you made friends with the Prince,” Pilip reassured him.

“Thanks. I wish the rest of the men would think the same. I’m gonna head out and grab breakfast. I’ll see you at the briefing?” Sokka stood up.

“Yeah.” Pilip stood up after him, giving him a quick hug. “See you.”

Sokka smiled at him and headed out the door. He nearly fell down when he bumped into someone, but instead was greeted by the prince.

“Hey,” Zuko greeted.

“Hey!” Sokka’s voice cracked with surprise. He gulped. “Sorry about that.” Zuko didn’t reply to his apology, but Sokka quickly learned that Zuko’s silence meant he was okay with it, and not that he was angry or anything. Zuko’s silence (now that Sokka knew it was a positive thing) was almost more comforting than anyone else who might say  _ it’s okay _ or  _ no worries.  _ It was that false reassurance that made Sokka doubt himself and what others think of him at times.

“Join me for breakfast? I mean…” Zuko’s eyes shifted to the side. It seemed to Sokka that that was a habit of Zuko’s. He usually broke eye contact, choosing to look to whatever was next to the other person instead. Sokka still maintained eye contact. He noticed Zuko’s eyes were a light golden colour. It wasn’t unlike any of the other Fire Nation citizens. Most citizens had the same darker coloured eye as opposed to just about every single Southern Water Tribe citizen with bright blue eyes. But Zuko’s eyes were different in the sense that they were just a shade lighter than those Sokka had seen since arriving. When they caught the light, his eyes almost seemed to swirl like a sea of amber. It was fascinating to Sokka, really. “I just came over to see if you wanted to. It’s alright if you don’t,” Zuko continued.

“You’re kidding, right? Why not?”

“Great, then!”

Zuko guided Sokka to the breakfast room, but once they grabbed their food, they made their way to the palace gardens to eat.

“What’s it like in the Southern Water Tribe?” Zuko questioned him, a fork to his mouth.

“It’s small.” Sokka nodded. “Much smaller than even this palace, but the people we have are good.” Sokka smiled as he thought of home. “We like to fish and go sledding. It’s much colder there, too. I could never wear what I’m wearing right now back home. I teach this group of young men, each maybe eight years old.”

“Wait, men? They’re eight,” Zuko looked at Sokka, confused.

“I treat them like men, they treat me like a man. I have respect for them. With a population of mostly women, my men have a big responsibility at such a young age.”

Zuko nodded. “I like that, I suppose.  _ I _ was always treated as a boy, never a man. I waited for years to gain that respect I thought I deserved, but when I was finally treated as an equal with the other men, I messed up. I was held accountable for my actions as an adult.”

“What about now?”

“I’ve lost that respect for good. I’ll never be seen as a man. Except by maybe my Uncle Iroh. He’s an old man, though, so I don’t know if it really counts,” Zuko sighed. “What else?” 

Sokka nodded slowly. “Most of our population is female. I have a sister named Katara. I’m older, of course,” Sokka felt the need to add. “My dad, Hakoda, is the best man I know. He rarely stays at home, though. He’s always going on trips here and there, so my Gran Gran took care of us as kids.”

“No mother?”

“No, uh, she was killed.” Sokka didn’t add the  _ by the Fire Nation military, _ but he could recognize that Zuko had that part figured out.

“Oh.”

They both finished eating without saying a word after that, but it was a warm silence. Sokka grew more comfortable next to the prince.

A fire nation staffer eventually walked up to them. “Prince Zuko. It is time to attend today’s briefing. You are welcome to do so.”

They stood and made their way to the planning room, which wasn’t too far from the palace entrance. When they got there, Zuko took his spot beside the Fire Lord, and Sokka was shown to his seat by a guard: a chair on the left side of the table, towards the end and next to Pilip. He was about to sit down when he heard Prince Zuko say, “If I may, Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe will sit next to me during today’s briefing.”

Sokka noticed a glare coming from Zuko’s father, directed at Zuko. Sokka thought that if anything, that glare should have been directed towards Sokka. Though, when no one protested, Zuko smiled at Sokka warmly, which prompted him to get up from where he was seated, and bring his notes over to the front of the table next to Zuko. 

It was awkward, to say the least. 

Once Sokka was sat down, the meeting was called to order. Most of what was said concerned the troops that were being sent to Ba Sing Se, the capital city of the Earth Kingdom, and the Fire Nation colonies in said Earth Kingdom. 

The Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom were definitely not the best allies (they were enemies, in fact. Out of every civilization the Fire Nation has screwed over, the Earth Kingdom might have been their number one target. It was an easier target, Sokka had to admit. They had the most land. Their people were generally peaceful. (Just like any other nation, but at least the Earth Kingdom had the resources to fight back. Sokka thought it might have been an idea coming from the sadist mind of Fire Lord Ozai. Sokka couldn’t think back to why the war started, honestly. It had been going on Sokka’s entire life.

“The Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom,” Sokka spoke up, his pencil pointed on his lip. “Why is the Fire Nation using these colonies as means of war? The Earth Kingdom has plenty of great resources the Fire Nation does not have, and vice versa. It would be best to set up a trade alliance, since extracting these resources by violence usually loses the Fire Nation many lives and is very costly,” Sokka suggested. “I’m not trying to erase your entire agenda here, Your Majesty,” he addressed the Fire Lord, “But I really do think to be the most powerful nation does not mean to be the most violent one, but rather to play your cards with logic and intent.”

Many officials looked at Sokka like he was crazy. Maybe he was. Sokka sank in his seat slightly. He spoke out of place. He looked at Zuko out of the corner of his eyes. During the entire meeting, Zuko hadn’t spoken a word, not even reacting to what the other people were saying. His expression was cold, almost scary, like the rest of his family. It was odd, a complete change to the friendly and approachable guy he was talking to earlier. 

“Impressive,” he heard Ozai say. He and just about every other person in the room shot up in astonishment. He was not expecting the kind words of praise that came from the Fire Lord. “Ito,” commanded Ozai. “Look into a trade alliance with the Earth Kingdom.  _ Don’t do it _ ,” he made sure to add. “Just look into it: how it will affect our finances, what exactly it will entail.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Sokka was speechless. 

The rest of the meeting passed, and he still had the adrenaline left over from his risky speech. Sokka couldn’t find Prince Zuko when he left the room, so he figured he must have left quickly. Sokka was pulled aside by Osha immediately into a hallway just off of the meeting room. Sokka immediately apologized, scared of what was to come.

Osha was an odd character to Sokka. Osha was younger than Sokka, but he looked and acted older than Sokka. Osha wasn’t even the leader of the mission they were on (Sokka was), he just had that natural ability to take charge. Even though Sokka had superiority in this instance, Osha was still threatening because in most instances, Osha held superiority.

“Sokka,” Osha said. “You messed up last night.”

“I know,”

“You never returned to the dining hall.”

“Right.”

“Did you fix it?”

“Well, uh, here’s the thing…” Sokka fiddled with his hands, one index finger pointed at the other. “I ran into the Prince after I went to apologize to the Princess.  _ He _ said it was smarter to leave the issue alone, or I just might make it worse. I followed his advice, of course, because, you know, he’s the  _ Prince _ of the  _ entire Fire Nation _ , so I will give it time. I made the decision alone to not return to the dining room, since I didn’t want to make a scene again.”

“You disappointed the Southern Water Tribe with your behaviour last night,” Osha started. Sokka hung his head in defeat. “But, you were able to befriend the prince at a close level, which none of us expected anyone to do. And not only that, but you impressed the His Majesty, Ozai, with your proposal today, which might cause a time of peace between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation. It was a risky proposal, something so big, but it may just work.” Osha smiled. “I’m proud of you.”

Sokka looked up at the taller man. “Really?” He hugged Osha tightly. He was just so relieved he wasn’t yelled at completely for his actions.

Sokka left with a bounce in his step. He just  _ had _ to talk about what just happened in the meeting with Zuko.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Like I said, more actual characters from Avatar will be introduced in later chapters, so stay tuned. Sorry this post took so long. I am a slow write because I get distracted easily. Chapter three is finished and will be posted once I finish writing chapter four!


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